INT. GREY SLOAN MEMORIAL – NICU – DAY

The NICU doors slide open again.

Link steps inside more slowly this time.

The pink isolation gown hangs loose on him now, the sling still wrapped over it.
Blue gloves are already on.

He moves straight to the incubators.
Doesn’t hesitate.

His hand slips back into Baby B’s incubator, fingers curling gently around the same spot as before, like he needs to re-anchor himself.

Dr. Kasliwal approaches quietly.
Not rushed. Respectful.

She waits until Link looks up.

DR. KASLIWAL
Dr. Lincoln

LINK
Sorry I missed your call.
I fell asleep in Jo’s room.

DR. KASLIWAL
That’s okay. 
I just wanted to update you.

Link nods once.
No energy for anything else.

DR. KASLIWAL (CONT’D)
Baby A is doing well enough that we’re planning a CPAP trial later today.

Link absorbs it.

LINK
CPAP trial.
That’s good news right?

She nods.

DR. KASLIWAL
Yes.
We’ll see how she tolerates breathing with less support.

A beat.

LINK
(grasping)
Okay. 

Then —

DR. KASLIWAL (CONT’D)
Baby B is a little more fragile right now.
We haven’t been able to lower her vent settings yet.

That lands harder.

Link tightens his grip just slightly — gently — just enough to feel real.

LINK
So…she’s struggling.

Dr. Kasliwal meets his eyes.

DR. KASLIWAL
Right now, she needs more help, yes. 

Not softened.
Not dramatized.
Just true.

Link nods.
Once.
Twice.

His phone vibrates in his pocket.
He ignores it.

LINK
(quiet, careful)
How worried should I be? 

Dr. Kasliwal chooses her words precisely.

DR. KASLIWAL
We’re watching them closely.
This is within what we expect for babies this early.

Link hears the limits of that sentence.

Another vibration.

He exhales slowly, like letting go of something sharp.

LINK
I need to call my kids and tell them about their baby sisters.

Dr. Kasliwal doesn’t react.
Just listens.

LINK (CONT’D)
And  I just—
I need to know I’m not going to have to take it back.

He finally looks at her.
This isn’t about medicine.
It’s about damage control.

Dr. Kasliwal nods, understanding exactly what he means.

DR. KASLIWAL
You can tell them the babies are here.
You can tell them they’re being taken care of.

A beat.

DR. KASLIWAL (CONT’D)
That’s the truth. 
And right now, you want to stay with the truth.

Link swallows.
Another vibration.

This time he looks.

ON SCREEN:
MOM
Link, please call me.
We’re worried.

He glances back at the incubators.

Baby A.
Baby B.

Tiny.
Fighting.

LINK
Okay.

He withdraws his hand slowly — deliberately — like he doesn’t want to startle her.

His fingers hover for a second longer than necessary. 

Then he straightens.

LINK (CONT’D)
I’ll be right back.

Dr. Kasliwal nods.

Link turns toward the doors, phone already in his hand.

At the threshold, he looks back once more.

Just to make sure they’re still there.

Then he steps out into the corridor and calls his mom.

CUT.